1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for repairing damaged portions of tires.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is generally known that a tire may become damaged. Damage may result from encountering road hazards and debris, or may be the result of tire mounting or dismounting, or an accident. In some instances, the damage may include abrasions, lacerations, or punctures.
One prior art method of repairing injuries to the body plies of a tire involves removing the damaged material, overlaying the section along an inside surface of the tire with a patch containing wires or cords, and filling the damaged area with rubber. With this technique, the repair reinforcements are offset relative to the tire's original reinforcements by a distance extending between the tire reinforcement and the reinforcement location within the patch. Therefore, the patch reinforcements are located beyond the interior surface of the tire, which may result in a distance at least 5-6 mm or more from the patch reinforcements to the tire reinforcements. When greater distances between the patch reinforcements and the tire reinforcements exist, shear amplitudes operating between the patch reinforcements and the tire reinforcements increase, which may lead to patch separation and failure. This limits the size and durability of the repairs.
Another repair technique involves removing a large trapezoidal section of the tire sidewall to a predetermined size and shape of a replacement patch section, where the patch reinforcements are substantially aligned within the same plane as the tire reinforcements. This technique is difficult and time consuming to practice, as it requires precise preparation of the trapezoidal tire aperture to match the patch dimensions, which is primarily done from the inside of the tire. It is also inflexible, as the tire is prepared to the predetermined patch size and shape.